Part of the reason for the trip was to work out what the best way to over night camp in cooler weather. I have a 50mm self inflating mattress with a 3 season full width sleeping bag. There are the obligatory foam tiles on the floor over which I laid the noisy foil bivvy which was two layers, this helps reduce the abrasion effect on the air mattress from the grit and small stones as well as reducing heat transfer. The mattress is very comfortable, the only cold I felt was on my shoulders.
I forgot a pillow which is important for good sleep as is keeping feet and head warm. By far the biggest issue for me is getting twisted up in a sleeping bag, more so than slightly cold shoulders. I may end up zipping my two sleeping bags together as they are designed for.
Sleeping in a craft even as small as mine is much better than a tent IMO, the explorer is in another league when it comes to comfort and space for overnight camping! The issue of over night condensation in my craft is manageable by using a bed sheet placed over the hood frame, the sheet absorbs the moisture well and stops drips.
The next camping trip should be loch Etive, hopefully soon .
I also had a chance to try the little wood gasification stove as seen on Ebay and Amazon, it worked very well despite wet wood and needing diesel to dry the wood out enough for it to do it's thing.
These hover camping trips are as good as it gets for me as they encompass so much more than the hovercraft piloting, which in itself is immensely de stressing (most of the time
) ) Winter camping is worlds away from summer camping but brings with it other images and experiences and with the right preparation should be very enjoyable.